No differences were found in the frost resistance of the different‐aged (2–7 weeks) germlings of Scots pine. The critical temperature was ‐6°C to —3°C. A temperature of ‐4°C killed half of the germlings and produced damage in one fifth of the surviving seedlings; the needles turned brown and growth ceased. The frost resistance of the previous year's shoots of two‐year‐old seedlings, measured by the impedance method, decreased during the shoot elongation period from — 10°C to — 4°C. Damage to the current shoots during shoot elongation appeared as deformation and discolouration of the needles and abnormal development or death of the apical bud. The results indicate that frost is not the cause of growth disturbances observed in Finnish nurseries.